Chapter 3: First time login

5 HOURS AGO 1 COMMENT

Translator: Soafp

I opened my blurry eyes.

　But a few moments earlier, I realized that the place I was standing in had changed.

　It seems that I have successfully logged into the game world.

　All I could see was a large, cobblestoned square. Apparently, this was the starting point of the game.

　There was a large black stone monument towering behind me, and the square seemed to be formed around it.

　There were rush mats and stalls everywhere in the square, and a bazaar of sorts was going on, making the place very lively.

　And—-At that moment, a system screen appeared in front of me.

[Welcome to the world of [Magica Technica]!　Would you like to start the tutorial?　Yes/No.]

　Apparently, it was going to give me a tutorial on how to play this game.

　But I guess I can find out more about the game by asking Asuka.

　I’ve been told that she’s going to go look for me as soon as I log in to the game, so I guess I’ll just pass on this one.

　For the time being, I chose no, closed the screen, and turned my attention to the sword on my waist.

　It seems to be equipped with a belt to hold it in place. …… I was curious about the quality of the sword, so I pulled it out and exposed part of the blade to check.

“Fumu…well,……, it’s normal. Not a katana huh”

　The weight and center of gravity of the sword is not uncomfortable, and it can be handled as a normal sword.

　I was wondering what I would do if the balance was too wobbly, but this shouldn’t be a problem.

　No problem with the weapons. As for the—— Ah, there was that random skill I picked earlier.

“Oh, …… menu open?　Was it right?”

　I announced the words that Asuka had told me to call the menu screen.

　Instantly, a menu screen appeared in front of me.

　On the left side of the screen is a full body image of me, and on the right side are a number of menus.

　Information, items, status, skills, friends, settings, logout ……, well, I guess I could ask Asuka about the functions later.

　There were some things I was curious about, but I put them off for now and selected the skills menu.

Skills

Weapon skill: 《Sword: Lv.1》.

Magic Skill: 《Enhancement Magic: Lv.1》.

Set Skill: 《Dead Point Shot: Lv.1》

　《HP Auto Recovery: Lv.1》

　《Automatic MP recovery：Lv.1》

　《Sword of Deprivation: Lv.1》

　《Mining: Lv.1》

Sub Skills: None

■ Current SP: 0

“Oh? It’s displayed properly. 《Sword of Deprivation》 and 《Mining》?”

　As I recall, “mining” was a skill that was also displayed in the skills section. I guess this is a normal skill.

　But the “Sword of Deprivation”. This skill was not listed in that skill section.

　It’s hard to say for sure since I was reading it in passing, but I didn’t recognize the name.

　With a bit of elation, I displayed the details of the skill.

■ 《Sword of Deprivation》: Attack, active skill

　It absorbs a portion of the damage done to the enemy and restores HP.

　It consumes MP to activate, and the effect is only applied to the next attack action you perform.

　The efficiency of absorbing damage depends on the skill level.

■ 《Mining》: Auxiliary Passive Skill

　Highlights mining points and adds a bonus to items obtained by mining.

　The bonuses include an increase in the quality of the items that appear and an increase in the number of items.

　The rate of increase depends on the skill level.

“Heehee, this …… looks interesting again.”

　Aside from the Mining, the Sword of Deprivation i has an interesting effect.

　If the attack can be used as a means of restoring HP, then the ability to continue fighting will be enhanced.

　As for the MP that was consumed, if you avoid taking too much damage, the MP auto recovery will restore it.

　Also, mining is not a waste of time.

　If I get some ore, I might be able to make a sword, so there should be a use for it.

　There was only one jackpot, but it was still a satisfying result.

“I’ll …… just have to play around with the settings.”

　To pass the time, I tried to push the button, but to be honest, I didn’t understand what I was looking at.

　I was a little curious about the pain setting and the gore filter.

　By the way, I’ve heard that in VR games, the pain sensation is partially blocked for safety reasons. …… The pain sensation setting probably refers to this.

　Well, I guess it is necessary in general, but for me, it is nothing but a hindrance.

　The sense of pain is a sensor. If it is dulled, there is a possibility of a momentary delay in detection in battle.

　This is why the pain sensation setting is 100%. When I set it up, I got a window with warnings and self-responsibility, but I didn’t care and just set it to OK. I turned off the gore filter as well.

“Okay, that’s it. Now, ……, where is that idiot discipleof mine?”

　Asuka said she was waiting at the login point, but …… there was no sign of her.

　Am I just not noticing?　But I’ve always seen the way she moves her feet. If I were close enough, I wouldn’t be able to avoid noticing.

　As I looked around, I saw two figures approaching me.

Fumu, looks like she was just a little late—–

“—-Like I said, I decline the offer.”

“But, Hisana-chan!　A player of your caliber leaving the front lines…”

“In the first place, I don’t belong to your party either. There should be no reason to restrict muy actions … Excuse me. “

　It seems I’ve been tangled up with a troublesome party.

　I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile as I stared at my apprentice, who had spotted me and rushed over to me.

　Asuka, who had reached in front of me at a speed that made her shake off the person who was talking to him next to me, raised her voice as she looked up at me with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, Sensei!　I didn’t know you were already logged in.”

“No need to apologize. I didn’t have a definite time in mind either. Besides, you were involved with some troublesome people, weren’t you?　If you’re not responsible, then explain yourself. Do you understand?”

“…… Yes, thank you, sensei.”

　Asuka muttered, and looked up.

　Basically, it is not that different from the usual appearance.

　However, her red-based costume and crimson dyed hair were a partial departure from her usual impression.

　Well, it’s a bizarre color, but it looks surprisingly good on her.

　I wonder if this is another effect of the game.

“Well, ……, your character’s name is Quon, huh”

“Isn’t that easy to understand?　What about you, …… Hima?　You’ve got a subtle way of reading ……. I see you’re still fond of Rokumonsen” [TL: crest of the Sanada clan (features six sen coins, trad. to pay for crossing the Sanzu River)

　Asuka – or is it Hisana – raises her eyebrows in a slightly embarrassed manner.

　It’s a familiar gesture for me, but the people around me seem a little strange.

　There are a lot of people who are looking at us and buzzing. The one in the center of the gaze was rather Hima, but some of the rude gazes were coming my way as well.

　It’s not exactly a pleasant situation to be in. For now, I think it’s better to leave this place as soon as possible to calm down.

“Now, Hisana. For now, show me around. After all, I skipped the tutorial.”

“I knew that’s what Sensei would do. Well, let’s start with…”

“Wait, Hisana-san!”

Hisana sensed the intentions of me and turned on her heel to quickly leave the place.

　However, perhaps it was a bad idea to pull my hand when she did so – there was a man who suddenly raised his voice.

　I don’t need to look, but it’s the man who was involved with Hima earlier.

　A warrior-like man with blue hair, elaborately designed armor, and a long sword.

　To be honest, it didn’t look very functional, but I wondered if he could fight properly with such weapons and armor.

　In spite of my doubts, the man raised his voice in a mixture of indignation towards Hima.

“Hisana-chan, are you saying that you’ll leave the front line to guide that man!!”

”Yes, but what about it?”

　Whoa, that’s a cold voice that this guy normally wouldn’t have.

　Apparently, the man is very much disliked.

　Well, I guess it’s understandable with his behavior.

“You are the best player in MT!　For you to leave the front lines would be a loss to the entire game!　As someone who was in a party with—-…”

“We only partied together during a previous event, and since then we haven’t had any adventures together. I don’t need you to limit my play style, and I’m not comfortable with you talking to me like that.”

　The blue-haired man faltered at the curt remark, and I chuckled at the sight of him.

　Well, I guess there are people like this everywhere.

　In fact, there are probably more of them in the game world than in the real world.

　I couldn’t hide my smile at the thought of it. …… Apparently, this man didn’t like it.

　He turned his mouth, which had been mended by Hisana, towards me this time.

“…… What so funny, you newbie!”

“Everyone starts out as a beginner. You’re no different, right?”

“Wha…… Hmm, you really are a beginner, huh? I am the Blue Swordsman! Freed, one of the top players!”

“Oh?”

　I was speaking in the nuance of, “You know, the game hasn’t been in service for very long”…… Well, I don’t care if I’m wrong or not.

　What’s more important is…

“Oi, Hima. Didn’t you say that there are plenty of strong opponents in this world game?”

“Ha?　Yes, I did……”

“If an amateur like him is at the top, what do you expect from the rest of us?”

“Wha—–“

　His footwork, his weight transfer, all of it is not up to par.

　I could tell just by watching him move that he was a complete novice who had never even taken a stab at martial arts.

　If this is the kind of thing that can get you to the top, then the others are probably just like him.

“U-uhm Sensei, most of the players are like this. What you’re dealing with are opponents that appear on the field or in dungeons.

“Oh?　Ah, that’s what you mean. …… I was almost disappointed when I logged in a few minutes ago. Okay, then get on with it and show me the way.”

“Huh, that’s fine, but that ……”

　This is the moment when Hisana muttered.

　The object suddenly flew at me from the side, and I immediately grabbed it.

　I knew from the sound that it was a cloth-like object, but when I opened my hand, I saw that it was a white glove.

　It seemed that the person who threw it was that guy Freed, but was this an attack?

　Just as I turned my gaze to look at it, a window appeared in front of me.

　–I couldn’t help but twist my mouth into a smile at that display.

[“You have been challenged to a duel by [Freed]. Do you want to accept?　Yes/No.”]

“Hoo?　You want to challenge me to a duel, kid?”

“Don’t you dare mock me, you novice!　I’m trying to teach you some self-awareness!”

“An eye for an eye ……, all right.”

“Wai, Sensei!?”

　I chuckled and pressed Yes on the window that listed various conditions.

　Hinasa looked flustered and was about to call a halt, but slightly faster than that, the hemispherical area expanded and everyone except me and Freed were removed from the scene.

　So this is the place for a duel, huh? It’s not that big, but it’s enough for a battle.

　Smiling, I drew my sword and held it in a straight line.

“You’re going to pay for insulting me. …… Now, come!!”

“Oi, oi, what are you talking about? I’m not so low that I will make the first move against an amateur, okay?”

“……!”

　At my words, Freed turns over and shakes his shoulders.

　Well, there’s no lie in what I just said. If you’re dealing with an amateur, it makes sense to make the first move.

　–If anything, I’m better at playing the back end.

“Enough, die!”

　As soon as he shouted, Freed rushed forward, as if he had lost patience with the repeated provocations.

　In his hand was a bluish long sword. It is true that the speed at which he runs is moderate.

　However, his center of gravity is shifting and his stride is not in sync. It’s a telephone punch, with no feinting or anything, and I know exactly where it’s going to strike.

　The blade he wields is a kesa-hake. Therefore – the flash is entangled with the blade of the sword.

　Zanpo – a form of softness, Ryusui.

“—-tsu”

　As soon as he shouted, Freed rushed forward, as if he had lost patience with the repeated provocations.

　In his hand was a bluish long sword. It is true that the speed at which he runs is moderate.

　However, his center of gravity is shifting and his stride is not in sync. It’s a telephone punch, with no feinting or anything, and I know exactly where it’s going to strike.

　The blade he wields is a kesa-hake. Therefore – the flash is entangled with the blade of the sword.

Slashing method—- form of soft patern, streaming water.

“—-tsu”

　Freed’s attack was deflected diagonally backwards, causing its center of gravity to collapse forward.

　If this was a well-trained person, he would have noticed that the attack was being deflected – but now he probably doesn’t even know why his body is fully out of control.

　But I didn’t want to wait for him to figure it out, so I struck the neck that was presented in front of me with a flash from the top.

　
　A single flash of lightning aimed at the gap between the bones bites into Freed’s neck like a master piece of swordplay and chops off his bare head.

　The rest of the body collapses, and a moment later the head rolls to the ground, both of them disappearing in a spray of blood.

　I watched it happen and let out a sigh.

“I was right. Things are as they seem.”